Vacuum cleaner



May 26, 1936. G. w. ALLEN ET AL 2,042,328

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Aug. 27, 1929 Patented May 26, 1936 i t I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VACUUM CLEANER George W. Allen and Lena B. Allen, Boston, Mass., assignors to B. F. Sturtevant ,Company, Hyde Park, Mass., a corporation of Massachu-. setts Application August 27, 1929, Serial No. 388,729 16 Claims.- (Cl.15155) The present invention relates to vacuum cleanin either direction, the fibres will be bent first in ers and more particularly to suction nozzles for one direction and then in the Ot e y t e air the same. currents, and any stringy material which may One of the objects of the present invention is have become l d ed r a ed on either s d to devise a construction of suction nozzle which thereof will be swept off and'through the mouth shall be particularly effective in the picking up 0f e nozzle and Q thedust ,receptacle- 0f stringy material such as threads, hair, etc, I Such bending'of the fibres Of the pile not only Another object is to provide a suction nozzle facilitates t e dislodging 0f the stringy al whereby pile fabrics, and particularly those of but also opens p the fabric S the dirt and r the deep pile type, Will be thoroughly and easdust may bedrawn from the depths thereof. Fur- 10 ily cleaned, thermore, due'to the forcible bending of the fibresv Another object is to produce a suction nozzle pile. first in One direction and then h Ot which will offer a minimum of resistance to moveany dust lodged. upon the b es Will be ment over the surface to be cleaned, irrespective Shaken o n Off and carried away in t e a r of the character of such surface. stream. 15

With these objects in view the present inven- In the c p nyin d aw Wh ch illustrates tion consists of th parts d c i t of whatis now considered the preferred embodiment parts hereinafter d ib and more particu of the present invention, Fig. 1 shows in side elelarly defined in the appended 1 v vation an electric vacuum cleaner of a common In the common construction of suction nozzle p p ovided with a nozzle constructed in ac- 2 having a plain e]ongated narrow slot djm ulty cordance With present invention; Fig. 2 is a, has been experienced in picking up stringy mabottom P View Of the nozzle On an l d terial such as thread, string, hair, etc., and this scale, with parts broken y to W the indifljculty is increased as the depth of the pile terior construction; Fig. 3 is atransverse secincreases. Various attempts have been made to tional View, on a Still large! Scale, n ne 3-3 improve the operation of nozzles with regard to of but with the nozzle in a perat such materials. In some instances revolving or t e P s t on instead of bottom side up as sh0wnstationary brushes have been located in the mouth m 2; H 4 IS a front vation of one end of of the nozzle; blades or surfaces, both having the HOZFIB 0n the Same Scale as -3, w th the plain and also having serrated edges, have been pFotectlng rubber d ut away; and Fig. 5 is a placed Within or adjace t the 1105219 mouth view similar to Fig. 3, showing a band in position Other devices have been tried, but none have to close the aui1iaryairin1et proved wholly satisfactory. Where brushes were t cleaner Illustrated in F 1 i of the 0011- employed, whether stationary or revolving, the ventlona] type comprisingthe usual fan Casing stringy material tended to collect thereon, requir- 5 with fan 5 therein, electric motor upporting ing frequent cleaning. Blades were only partially Wheels 9 dust? baeconnection handle and effective in picking up the threads and were liable Inlet passage Wlth the nozzle indicated to damage the fabri being c1eaned ally at l5. In operation the front end of the The present invention avoids all liability of Cleaner 15 Supported by the nozzle, the under ace 4 4 damage) the fabric at the same time insuring of which is in direct contact with the surface to the picking up of all such material and the debe cleaned' livery of the same into the dust receptacle by di- The nozzle 15 cons-tziucted as shown in Flgs' recting a stream of air in a direction approachand and compnses a f dqwnwardly ing parallelism with the surface to be cleaned curved laterally fiafmg body havmgallongi I131" and at a point adjacent the mouth of the nozzle row slot l1 extendlng across the bottom thereof whereby the pile will be bent over sidewise and between the horizontal end pair'tltlons Close the thread or other stringy material blown off to the nozzle mouth and extending along the front the same and carried into the mouth of the nozzle. and rear thereof are the from and rear air inlets 2| and 23, respectively, through which air is sup- Preferably two Streams of will be employed plied to the nap or pile of the fabric to be cleaned one at the front of the nozzle to bend the fibres in approximately opposite directions parallel to backwardly towards the nozzle mouth, and a simthe urfac of the fabric ilar stream at the ea Of e nozzle bending e In the specific construction illustrated in the Q fibres forwardly towards such mouth. Thus, as drawing; the nozzle is made in two parts, one the nozzle is passed over the surface to be cleaned part comprising the downwardly curving and lat- 55 erally extending portion with top and depending wall around the margin or periphery thereof, all cast integrally with the suction passage I3 and the fan casing 5, and the other part consisting of a detachable bottom portion in which are formed the slot or mouth H and the air inlets 2| and 23. In Fig. 3 is shown the cast top portion 25 with the depending wall 21. Secured against the bottom face of this wall is the bottom portion of the nozzle, indicated generally at 29, which comprises the substantially fiat front and rear bottom faces 3| spaced apart to provide for the slot l1 and inlets 2|, 23; with the upturned front and rear walls 33 terminating short of the walls 21 of the main portion of the nozzle to form air entrance portions 35 and 31 in the front and rear of the nozzle;

Inclined partitions 39, extending from the bottom faces of the side walls 21 of the upper portions of the nozzle, with their lower ends spaced from the bottom faces 3| to form the air inlets 2| and 23, and from each other to form the slot or mouth |1, terminate slightly above the plane of the lower surface of the bottom faces and direct the air entering the ports 35 and 31 through the inlets 2| and 23 and onto the fabric adjacent the slot |1. These partitions at their upper ends have short, horizontal portions 4|, and at intervals are provided with upturned lugs or ears 43 received in recesses 45 in the depending wall 21 and secured therein by means of the screws 41. Six ofthese attaching lugs are shown in Fig. 2 whereby the detachable lower portion 29 is firmly mounted upon the lower face of the upper portion of the nozzle, the outer margin of the bottom face of the wall 21 and the inner margin of the horizontal walls or faces 4| fitting closely together.

A round rubber band 49, to protect furniture or other articles from being scratched or marked if the cleaner nozzle should accidentally be brought into contact therewith, is positioned on the outer faces of the wall 21, being held in place in stretched condition between the overhanging top or lip 5| on the upper portion and the horizontal'face 4| on the bottom portion of the nozzle. This rubber band, through its close contact with the upper and lower portions of the nozzle, also serves to prevent any leakage between these two parts, if through faulty mechanical construction they fit poorly,

In order to support or strengthen the inclined partitions 39 and also to distribute the suction more uniformly across the width of the nozzle, vertical partitions 53 are inserted between the inclined partitions 39 and the bottom and side walls 3| and 33. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, eight of these partitions are shown, four in front of the inlet slot l1 and four to the rear.

To facilitate cleaning close to a wall or an article of furniture rising vertically from the floor, the horizontal end partitions H! are formed with a semi-circular groove 55 in their lower faces, constituting extensions, as it were, of the inlet slot |1. By operating the cleaner parallel to a side wall with one end of the nozzle close to such Wall, this groove 55 as it passes over the surface to be cleaned will permit the passage of air to the inlet nozzle, and with such air will be carried the dust and dirt from the surface passed over.

The cleaner illustrated in the drawing and embodying the present invention is operated in the same manner as the ordinary cleaner of this general type, being propelled over the floor or surface to be cleaned by the operator and the suction or current of air induced by the motordriven fan picking up and carrying the dust and dirt to the usual, dust receptacle. A portion of the air for this current or stream is supplied by the air inlets adjacent the nozzle slot, the air so supplied being delivered onto the surface to be cleaned in a direction approximating the horizontal. All stringy material such as threads, strings, hair, etc., as well as ordinary dust and dirt, are thoroughly and completely picked up and removed. That portion of the air stream supplied from directly beneath the slot draws the dirt and dust from the deeper portions of the material to be cleaned.

Not only is the nozzle constructed in accordance with the present invention particularly effective in picking up stringy material from the surface to be cleaned, but owing to the flat bottom faces of the nozzle which contact with such surface, and to the length of such faces measured in the direction of travel of the cleaner, the latter will be propelled with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator, the nozzle sliding freely with slight resistance irrespective of the character of such surface.

Where the air inlets at the font and rear of the slot H are not required or desired, as for example where there are no threads or stringy material to be picked up, or maximum suction is needed for extra deep cleaning or for some other reason, the air ports and 31 may be closed in any convenient manner as for example by means of the rubber band as shown at 51 in Fig. 5.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a particular construction of the parts, it is not limited thereto but may be employed in many other forms and arrangements.

Nor is the present invention limited to a construction of nozzle in which a lower part is detachably secured upon the main body of the nozzle except where so specifically defined in the claims.

Having thus described the present invention, what is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion having a bottom with a flat work-engaging surface and an unobstructed suc tion mouth therein, the total width of the flat work-engaging surface in the direction of travel of the nozzle exceeding the width of the nozzle slot, thereby to facilitate movement of the nozzle over the surface to be cleaned, the hollow body portion also being provided with air passages having air inlets and air outlets which are adjacent the suction mouth at the front and the rear thereof one wall of each of the air passages being substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned whereby air is delivered to said surface adjacent the suction mouth.

2. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion having a bottom provided with a long, narrow, unobstructed suction mouth and a pair of air passages of fixed dimensions, one to the front and the other to the rear of the mouth, the passages being symmetrically arranged with respect to the mouth, a wall of each passage being substantially horizontal adjacent the mouth to deliver air at the same inclination over the surface to be cleaned adjacent the mouth in approximately opposite directions.

3. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a holtion, and means for securing the portions together, the suction mouth portion having a of the top of said portion to form air inlets, and inclined partitions extending from thetop' of the mouth portion toward the suction mouth and terminating adjacent thereto to form with bottom air outlets and to direct air'from the air inlets onto the surface to be cleaned adjacent the suction mouth.

4. The combination with a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion, front and rear walls, and a bottom, the bottom being provided with an unobstructed suction mouth and with an air passage having an air outlet adjacent thereto, and one of the walls having an air inlet for admitting air to the passage, of an elastic band for covering and closing the air inlet.

5. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a long, narrow flaring body portion, a suction mouth portion having a long, narrow suction mouth in its bottom and auxiliary air inlet ports in its sides, means for detachably securing the suction mouth portion to the body portion, an elastic band for covering the joint between said portions to prevent leakage of air therethrough, the body portion and the mouth portion being provided with band engaging shoulders to retain the band in position, and the mouth portion being adapted to receive and retain a band in position to close the ports.

6. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow, flaring body portion, a suction mouth portion provided with a suction mouth and with an auxiliary air passage and detachably secured to the body portion, and an elastic bumper band held by its own elasticity in engagement with the body and the suction mouth portions for preventing air leakage through the joint between such portions.

7. The combination with a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow, flaring body portion provided at its bottom with a long, narrow suction mouth and with an air passage having a normally open air inlet and an air outlet which is adjacent the suction mouth, one wall of the passage being substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned whereby air is delivered to such surface in a direction approximately parallel to the same, and a bumper band for covering the air inlet at the will of the operator.

8. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion having along narrow suction mouth, a suction chamber immediately above the suction mouth, and an auxiliary air chamber having an air outlet adjacent to the suction mouth, the body having auxiliary air inlet means extending substantially throughout the length thereof to direct air into the aux liary chamber. the auxiliary chamber having a substant a ly flat bottom to direct air substantially horizontally over the work and into the suction mouth at right angles thereto. I

9. The combination with a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion and a suction mouth portion detachably secured thereto, of an elastic bumper band, the adjacent portions of the body portion and thesuction mouth portion cooperating to form a supporting groove to receive and retain the bumper band by its own elasticity, whereby the band may be removed while maintaining the mouth portion secured to the body portion.

body being provided with an air passage having an inlet open to the atmosphere, and with an air outlet adjacent the suction mouth to deliver air onto the surface'to be cleaned, one wall of the air passage surface. 4

11. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow body portion having a mouth and a suction chamber directly above the mouth, and an auxiliary air chamber having a substantially horizontal bottom plate to engage the work adjacent to the mouth and spaced from the mouth to provide an air outlet, the chamber having an auxiliary air inlet above the bottom plate, and a partition leading downwardly from above the auxiliary air inlet and inclined toward the suction mouth, the partition and horizontal bottom plate serving to direct air from the auxiliary air inlet through the air outlet and substantially horizontally across the work adjacent to the suction mouth.

12. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow, flaring body portion and a detachable mouth portion, said body portion having a bottom face and a laterally extending overhanging wall spaced above said face, and the mouth portion engaging the bottom face of the body portion and being of greater width than said body portion face to form with the overhanging wall a groove for retaining an elastic band.

13. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow, flaring body portion and a detachable mouth portion having flat bottom faces to engage the work, the faces being spaced apart to form a long narrow mouth, and a partition extending downwardly from the body portion with its bottom edge slightly above the bottom of the mouth portion and between the inner margins thereof to form an air outlet at one side of the partition between a bottom face of the mouth portion and the bottom edge of said partition, and a suction mouth on the opposite side of said partition, the nozzle having an open auxiliary air inlet above the mouth portion to supply air to said outlet.

14. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a hollow, flaring body portion and a detachable mouth portion having flat bottom faces to engage the 10. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a body] having a' bottom with a flat work-engaging surface and an unobstructedmouth therein, the

being substantially parallel to said work, the faces being spaced apart to form a long narrow mouth, a partition extending downwardly from the body portion to form on one side with the body portion a suction chamber and on the other side an auxiliary air chamber partially closed at its bottom by a bottom face of the detachable mouth portion, the bottom edges of the partition being slightly above the bottom of the mouth portion and between the inner margins of the mouth to divide the mouth into a suction mouth for the suction chamber and an air outlet for the auxiliary air chamber, said chamber being provided with an auxiliary air inlet above the mouth portion.

15. The combination with a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising an integrally cast hollow, downwardly curved laterally flaring body portion and a detachable mouth portion having a long, narrow suction mouth, formed therein and substantially flat bottom faces adjacent said mouth being provided with upwardly turned extensions,

the work adjacent to the mouth, the plate being cut away adjacent the mouth portion to form an air outlet, the chamber having. anauxiliary air 1 inlet above the bottom plate, and a partition leading from above the auxiliary inlet and down to substantially the top of the bottom plate to direct air substantially horizontally across the work adjacent the suction mouth. 3

GEORGE W. ALLEN. LENA B. ALLEN. 

